Canopy treatment system

ABSTRACT

A canopy treatment system to treat plants is disclosed. In one implementation according to examples of the present disclosure, a method comprises moving a canopy treatment system proximate to a plant to be treated, the canopy treatment system including a hot fluid generating system and a canopy, the canopy defining a treatment region and in fluid communication with the hot fluid generating system. The method further comprises lowering the canopy relative to the hot fluid generating system to position the canopy around the plant with the plant within the treatment region of the canopy; and heating the plant within the canopy.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/152,558, filed Apr. 24, 2015, which is hereby specificallyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Plants, such as fruit trees and nut trees, may be susceptible to varioustypes of diseases. These diseases may be caused by bacteria, viruses,algae, fungi, chemicals, and various other pathogens and may impact thediseased plant's mortality, health, growth, and reproduction. Forexample, various diseases, such as Citrus Greening Disease, which isalso known as Huanglongbing (HLB), may kill or irreparably damage youngplants before reaching reproductive age, affect reproductive output, ordirectly affect various flowers and fruits of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and components of the following figures are illustrated toemphasize the general principles of the present disclosure.Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may bedesignated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistencyand clarity.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a canopy treatment systemaccording to an example of the present disclosure including a hot watergenerating system and a canopy.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the hot water generating systemof FIG. 1 positioned on a vehicle according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates another perspective view of the hot water generatingsystem of FIG. 1 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of another example of a hot watergenerating system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the hot water generating system ofFIG. 4 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates another side view of the hot water generating systemof FIG. 4 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front view of the hot water generating system ofFIG. 4 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a treatment ring of the canopy of FIG.1 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the treatment ring of FIG. 8according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a detailed view of the treatment ring of FIG. 8taken from detail 10 in FIG. 8 according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a vertical connector of thetreatment ring of FIG. 8 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a support ring, treatmentring, and base ring of the canopy of FIG. 1 according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of the canopy treatment system ofFIG. 1 with the canopy in a collapsed state according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of the canopy treatment system ofFIG. 1 with the canopy in a partially collapsed state according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of the treatment canopy treatmentsystem of FIG. 1 with the canopy in an extended state and beingpositioned around a tree according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is an operational schematic of another example of a hot watergenerating system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is an operational schematic of the canopy of FIG. 1 according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is an electrical schematic for the canopy treatment system ofFIG. 1 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the flow path of water through the canopytreatment system of FIG. 1 according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart of a main routine of treating a tree with thecanopy treatment system of FIG. 1 according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of a sub-routine of the main routine of FIG. 20for controlling tree temperature according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of a sub-routine of the main routine of FIG. 20for controlling a fluid temperature according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 23 illustrates a perspective view of another example of a supportring of the canopy of FIG. 1 that is folded.

FIG. 24 illustrates a perspective view of another example of a canopy ina collapsed state and with the support ring of FIG. 23 according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 illustrates a perspective view of another example of a hot watergenerating system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 illustrates another perspective view of the hot water generatingsystem of FIG. 25 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 27 illustrates another perspective view of the hot water generatingsystem of FIG. 25 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 28 illustrates another perspective view of the hot water generatingsystem of FIG. 25 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 29 illustrates another perspective view of the hot water generatingsystem of FIG. 25 according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 illustrates a diagram of an environment to implement a treatmenttechnique with the canopy treatment system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 31 illustrates a block diagram of a system controller according toaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 32 illustrates a screen shot of an interface of a user device forperforming a treatment technique according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 33 illustrates a screen shot of an interface of a user device forperforming a treatment technique according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a canopy treatment system and associated methods, systems,devices, and various apparatus. The canopy treatment system includes amobile base and an extension with a treatment apparatus. It would beunderstood by one of skill in the art that the disclosed mobile canopytreatment system is described in but a few exemplary embodiments amongmany.

Plants such as various trees, flowers, bushes, crops, herbs, and variousother types of plants may be infected with one or more diseases that maynegatively impact the respective plants. For example, diseases maydamage or even kill portions of the plants such as branches, leaves,flowers, nuts, and fruits. A non-limiting example of a specific diseaseaffecting plants is the Huanglongbing (HLB) virus, commonly known as theCitrus Greening Disease, which infects citrus plants. HLB affects citrusplants by causing the infected trees to have, for example, stuntedgrowth, bear multiple off-season flowers, most of which fall off, andproduce small, irregularly-shaped, and bitter tasting fruit with aportion of the peel that remains green. Controlling diseases such as HLBmay be difficult as some diseases may have no known cure and infectedplants may be difficult to maintain and keep alive.

The present disclosure describes various methods, systems, devices, andapparatus for treating infected plants with a heated fluid. In oneembodiment, a method may include providing a steam environment in whichan infected plant is treated. The method may include treating theinfected plant at a specific temperature for a specific time such thatthe disease may be treated without killing the infected plant ordamaging existing fruit.

In another embodiment, the canopy treatment system may include a hotwater generating system and a canopy. The canopy treatment system may bemobile. The hot water generating system may include a burner and pump.The hot water generating system is configured to generate pressurizedand heated fluid that is supplied to the canopy. The hot watergenerating system is controllable such that the outlet fluid from thehot water generating system is maintained within a particular range oftemperatures and pressures.

The canopy is in fluid communication with the hot water generatingsystem and includes a treatment region. During use, the canopy ispositioned such that a plant to be treated, such as a tree, ispositioned in the treatment region. The disclosure of the tree shouldnot be considered limiting on the current disclosure as in various otherembodiments, the plant may be any plant to be treated with the canopytreatment system. The canopy directs the outlet fluid from the hot watergenerating system around the tree. The canopy at least partiallyencloses the tree within the treatment region. In various embodiments,the treatment region is defined by a treatment ring. The canopy may bevertically and horizontally positioned relative to the hot watergenerating system such that the tree is positioned at least partiallywithin the treatment region of the canopy during heat treatment.

The treatment ring may include a nozzle. The nozzle may introduce theheated and pressurized fluid from the hot water generating system intothe treatment region. The heated and pressurized fluid may be introducedinto the treatment region in a mist form. The nozzle may be orientatedsuch that the heated and pressurized fluid introduced into the treatmentregion creates a vortex whereby the heated mist is forced to circulatethrough and around the infected plant.

The canopy treatment system may include a system controller configuredto monitor the temperature of the treatment region and shut off the flowof heated fluid through the nozzle when a desired treatment time hasbeen achieved. The system controller may also be configured to monitor atemperature of the infected plant. Exposing the tree to an environmentat a specific temperature of a specific time may reduce the rate oramount of disease infection in the tree without killing or irreparablydamaging it.

One embodiment of a canopy treatment system 100 is disclosed anddescribed in FIG. 1. The canopy treatment system 100 includes a hotwater generating system 102 and a canopy 104.

The hot water generating system 102 pressurizes a fluid, such as water,and heats it under pressure. As described in greater detail below, thepressurized hot water may be recirculated within the hot watergenerating system 102 until the canopy 104 is positioned. Thepressurized hot water may also be recirculated within the hot watergenerating system 102 until an operator initiates a treatment programthrough a system controller, as described in greater detail below. Thehot water flows to the canopy 104, which includes at least one treatmentring 800 (illustrated in FIG. 8) surrounded by a cover 112, though anynumber of treatment rings 800, including zero treatment rings 800, maybe included in various embodiments. In various embodiments, one operatormay position a temperature transmitter 1502 a (illustrated in FIG. 15)near the center of the tree trunk and a second operator may lower thecanopy 104 over and around the tree. In various embodiments, the canopy104 is lowered until the canopy 104 rests on the ground. The canopy 104sprays the fluid as steam or mist on a tree to thoroughly distributeheat within the canopy 104. The second operator may place a secondtemperature transmitter 1502 b (illustrated in FIG. 17) at the next treetrunk while the first tree is being treated with heat treatment invarious embodiments. After the heat treatment is completed on the firsttree, the canopy 104 is raised, and the canopy treatment system 100 isrelocated to the second tree where the process starts again. Thetemperature transmitters 1502 may be any suitable device capable ofgenerating and transmitting a temperature signal either through wired orwireless communication.

In various embodiments, the hot water generating system 102 includes ahot water generator 118 and pump 120 positioned on a base 106. The hotwater generator 118 and pump 120 are in fluid communication with eachother and generate a fluid output from the hot water generating system102 at a specified temperature and pressure. In the present embodiment,the fluid is water and the fluid output is water output; however, invarious other embodiments, the fluid may be any desirable fluid or vaporfor tree canopy treatment. The hot water generator 118 is adjustable tocontrol the temperature of the water output of the hot water generatingsystem 102. The pump 120 is adjustable to control the pressure of thewater output of the hot water generating system 102 in variousembodiments. The flow is adjustable through a recirculation valve 1900(illustrated in FIG. 19), which is downstream of the pump 120. The wateroutput of the hot water generating system 102 is transported to thecanopy 104 via hosing 108; however, the disclosure of hosing 108 shouldnot be considered limiting on the current disclosure as in various otherembodiments, other connecting mechanisms such as piping, tubing, andvarious other mechanisms enabling fluid communication between the hotwater generating system 102 and the canopy 104 may be utilized.

The canopy 104 includes the treatment ring 800 (illustrated in FIG. 8)and the cover 112 in various embodiments. In various embodiments, thetreatment ring 800 sprays the heated water output from the hot watergenerating system 102 through nozzles 806 (illustrated in FIG. 8) on thetreatment ring 800, as is described in greater detail below. In variousembodiments, the nozzles 806 on the treatment ring 800 atomize the hotwater into steam for heat treatment of the tree to be treated. When theatomized hot water condenses within the canopy 104, heat is releasedinto the air to treat the tree.

The cover 112 is draped around and surrounds the treatment ring 800 tocontain moisture and heat within the canopy 104. In various embodiments,the cover 112 includes any material suitable for moisture and heatretention, such as those materials from the group including, but notlimited to, various polymers, textiles, plastics, metal sheets,composites, and various other suitable material.

In various embodiments, a jib 110 is connected to the at least onetreatment ring 800 through a connection mechanism, such as hooks, hooksand loops, buckles, clasps, pins, bolts, screws, and various othersimilar connection mechanisms. The jib 110 may be utilized in variousembodiments for aiding in raising, lowering, and positioning the canopy104. In various other embodiments, the jib 110 may be omitted from thecanopy 104. In various other embodiments, the canopy 104 may include aplurality of canopies 104 and treatment rings 800 such that the canopytreatment system 100 may treat multiple plants at once.

The canopy treatment system 100 is mobile in various embodiments. Invarious embodiments, the base 106 provides the mobility for the canopytreatment system 100. In various embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 1,the base 106 is mounted on a vehicle 114. In the present embodiment, thevehicle 114 is converted from a vehicle used for collecting citrusfruit, which is commonly known as a “goat.” In various otherembodiments, the base 106 may be mounted on various other types ofvehicles, converted vehicles, and various other transporting mechanisms,such as tractors, trucks, or trailers. In various embodiments, the base106 is equipped with its own movement mechanism and includes a movementmechanism such as wheels, sliders, rollers, or various other movementmechanisms connected to the base 106. In various embodiments, themovement mechanism may be manually driven, automatically driven, orpulled behind another vehicle.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in various embodiments, the vehicle 114includes an elevating mechanism 116. In the present embodiment, theelevating mechanism 116 is a hydraulic boom arm mounted on the vehicle114. The hydraulic boom arm may rotate 360° about the vehicle 114 andhot water generating system 102 and provide vertical and horizontalmovement relative to the vehicle 114 and the hot water generating system102. The canopy 104 is connected to the elevating mechanism 116 andaccordingly may be rotated 360° about the vehicle 114 and hot watergenerating system 102 to various positions around the vehicle 114 andhot water generating system 102. In the present embodiment, the canopy104 hangs from an end of the hydraulic boom arm. The canopy 104 may alsobe vertically and horizontally positioned relative to the vehicle 114and the hot water generating system 102. The elevating mechanism 116therefore permits the canopy 104 to be moved independently from the hotwater generating system 102 without movement of the hot water generatingsystem 102. Independent movement as used herein refers to movement ofthe canopy 104 without movement of the hot water generating system 102or movement of the canopy 104 while the hot water generating system 102remains stationary. The independent movement of the canopy 104 makes thecanopy 104 adaptable to treat various sized plants relative to the base106. In various embodiments, the jib 110 is connected to the elevatingmechanism 116 through a connection mechanism such as hooks, hooks andloops, buckles, clasps, pins, bolts, screws, and various other similarconnection mechanisms. In various other embodiments, the canopy 104 maybe connected to the elevating mechanism 116 without the use of the jib110. In various embodiments, the elevating mechanism 116 may also beused to guide the hosing 108 from the hot water generating system 102 tothe canopy 104. In embodiments where the vehicle 114 or othertransporting mechanism does not include an elevating mechanism 116, thecanopy 104 may be connected to various other elevating mechanisms, suchas lifts, cranes, pulleys, gears, and any other suitable elevatingmechanism for selectively raising and lowering the canopy 104 during atreatment process and moving the canopy 104 relative to the hot watergenerating system 102. The various elevating mechanisms may be part ofthe vehicle 114 or may be structures, components, or mechanismsindependent from the vehicle 114.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the hot water generating system 102 of the canopytreatment system 100. As previously described, the hot water generatingsystem 102 includes the hot water generator 118 and pump 120 positionedon the base 106.

In various embodiments, the base 106 includes a steam generator skid302. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pump 120 and hot watergenerator 118 are positioned on the steam generator skid 302 in variousembodiments. However, the disclosure of the steam generator skid 302should not be considered limiting on the current disclosure, as the hotwater generator 118 and pump 120 may be positioned as desired on thebase 106 in various other embodiments.

In various embodiments, the hot water generator 118 is a liquid fuelfired hot water generator 118 that utilizes a burner 1802 (illustratedin FIG. 18) to heat the fluid, such as water, flowing through the hotwater generator 118. In various embodiments, the burner 1802 utilizes afuel, such as diesel fuel, gasoline, bio-diesel, or other liquid fuel,or propane, or other gaseous fuel to provide heat into the water. Forexample, the burner 1802 may utilize diesel fuel to burn a flame, andradiant energy from the flame is transferred to the water flowingthrough the hot water generator 118. The disclosure of diesel fuelshould not be considered limiting on the current disclosure. In variousother embodiments, the hot water generator 118 is any suitable type ofhot water generator 118, such as an electric hot water generator,capable of heating water of the hot water generating system 102.

In various embodiments, the hot water generator 118 is adjustable toheat water to a desired temperature. The hot water generating system 102is controllable to heat and maintain a desired outlet water temperature.In various embodiments, a system controller automatically controls thehot water generating system 102 to maintain the desired outlet watertemperature.

For example, in various embodiments where the canopy treatment system100 is used to treat the HLB virus, the hot water generator 118 may heatwater to at least 230° F. For example, the hot water generator 118 mayheat water to temperatures between 210° F. and 260° F., such as between210° F. and 250° F., such as between 225° F. and 245° F., such as about235° F. In various embodiments, a temperature between 265° F. and 285°F., such as about 275° F., is a water high temperature limit. In variousembodiments, a temperature between 290° F. and 310° F., such as about300° F., is a water high-high temperature limit. In various embodiments,the operator may program the various water temperature limits. Invarious other embodiments, the hot water generator 118 may heat water tovarious other temperatures suitable for treating the HLB virus or othervarious diseases. In various other embodiments, the hot water generator118 heats the water to a sufficient temperature such that the canopy 104heats a diseased tree to a sufficient temperature for treatment. Invarious embodiments, the hot water generator 118 heats the water to asufficient temperature such that the canopy 104 is at a temperaturebetween 119° F. and 135° F., such as between 121° F. and 129° F., suchas about 125° F. In various embodiments, a temperature between 121° F.and 131° F. is a canopy temperature setpoint. In various embodiments, atemperature between 124° F. and 134° F. is a canopy high temperaturelimit. In various embodiments, a temperature between 125° F. and 135° F.is a canopy high-high temperature limit. In various other embodiments,the canopy 104 may be heated to other temperatures suitable to treat thetree. The various setpoints and canopy temperature limits may beprogrammed by the operator in various embodiments.

In various embodiments, the flow of water through the hot watergenerating system 102 is adjustable through the recirculation valve 1900to achieve a desired heated fluid temperature. For example, if the hotwater generator 118 provides a relatively constant heat source, fluidflowing at a reduced flow rate may be heated to a higher temperaturecompared to fluid flowing at an increased flow rate through the hotwater generator 118. The flow of water may also be controlled tomaintain a desired treatment temperature within the canopy 104, which ismeasured by the temperature transmitter 1502 a (illustrated in FIG. 15).In various embodiments, the system controller automatically controls theflow of water to the canopy 104.

In various embodiments, the pump 120 may be in fluid communication withthe hot water generator 118, and the pump 120 may be in directmechanical communication with the engine 316. In various embodiments,the pump 120 could be driven by an electric motor or any similarlysuitable device. The pump 120 may be any type of pump suitable forpumping water from a water source, through the hot water generator 118,and to the canopy 104. In various embodiments, the pump 120 adjustablypressurizes the water within the canopy treatment system 100 to adesired pressure or flow. In various embodiments, the pump 120 pumpswater to the hot water generator 118 from a water supply source. Asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in various embodiments, the water supplysource is a water tank 212 positioned on the base 106 and in fluidcommunication with the pump 120 and hot water generator 118. The pump120 supplies water from the water tank 212 to the hot water generator118 and then to the canopy 104, where it is used for heat treatment ofthe tree. The water tank 212 is described in greater detail below. Invarious other embodiments, the water supply source is external to thehot water generating system 102. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, invarious embodiments, the base 106 includes a tank railing 214 forretaining the water tank 212 on the base 106; however, the disclosure ofthe tank railing 214 should not be considered limiting on the currentdisclosure.

In addition to the hot water generator 118 and the pump 120, in variousembodiments, the hot water generating system 102 includes additionalcomponents utilized with the canopy treatment system 100.

The hot water generating system 102 includes the water tank 212 invarious embodiments, which is utilized to store a supply of the fluid,such as hard water or soft water depending on the application, for thecanopy treatment system 100. Depending on the storage capacity of thewater tank 212, the water tank 212 may be refilled periodically duringoperation of the canopy treatment system 100. The number of water tanks212 should not be considered limiting on the current disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in various embodiments, the water tank 212includes a water level transmitter 312, which is configured to measurethe water level within the water tank 212. The water level transmitter312 is in electrical communication with the system controller, which maybe programmed with a tank low level alarm. In various embodiments, whenthe water level transmitter 312 detects that a water level within thetank 212 is below a predetermined water level, the tank low level alarmalerts the operator of the need to fill the water tank 212. In variousembodiments, a low water level measured by the water level transmitter312 may prevent the pump 120 of the supply portion 102 from startinguntil the water level in the water tank 212 is above the predeterminedwater level. The number of water level transmitters 312 should not beconsidered limiting on the current disclosure as in various otherembodiments, any number of water level transmitters 312, including zerowater level transmitters 312, may be utilized.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 102 includes a pressure regulator 204. In variousembodiments, the pressure regulator 204 regulates outlet pressure fromthe pump 120 at safe and usable pressures. The pressure regulator 204may be positioned between the pump 120 and the hot water generator 118.The pressure regulator 204 may be positioned on the base 106 in variousembodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In various embodiments, therecirculation valve 1900 may be used to recirculate fluid to the watertank, thereby regulating pressure within the hot water generating system102 without a separate pressure regulator.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 102 includes a water softener 208. The water softener208 may be utilized to remove calcium, magnesium, and other metals orions in hard water to extend the lifetime of the various components ofthe canopy treatment system 100. In various other embodiments, the watersoftener 208 may be omitted from the hot water generating system 102. Invarious other embodiments, water softening is performed external to thehot water generating system 102, and soft water is supplied to the watertank 212 for use with the canopy treatment system 100. In variousembodiments, the water softener and tanks may be located on a separateskid, which may be self-propelled or attached mechanically to vehicle114, in fluid communication with pump 120. In various embodiments, thewater softener may include a multi-media filter to remove suspendedsolids from the incoming water. In various embodiments, other watertreatment equipment and chemicals may be used to treat the incomingwater source such that it is suitable for use as boiler feedwater. Invarious other embodiments, the canopy treatment system 100 may use hardwater. Similar to the tank railing 214, the base 106 may include a watersoftener railing 206 for retaining the water softener 208 on the base106.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 102 includes a burner control wiring enclosure 306 onthe base 106. In various embodiments, the burner control wiringenclosure 306 includes a burner controller (not illustrated) andcontrols for various components of the hot water generating system 102,such as the hot water generator 118, pump 120, and various othercomponents. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the burner control wiringenclosure 306 includes a burner on/off switch 1810, a start/stop relay1808 for a signal from the system controller, a visual temperaturedisplay 1806, and an hour meter 1804 in various embodiments.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 102 includes an engine 316 for supplying energy tocomponents of the hot water generating system 102, such as the pump 120,hot water generator 118, and various other components. In variousembodiments, the engine 316 is utilized to drive the pump 120. Theengine 316 may also be utilized to charge a battery 1820 (illustrated inFIG. 18) through an alternator (not illustrated). In variousembodiments, the battery 1820 may be utilized to provide power to theburner 1802 of the hot water generator 118. The burner 1802 and engine316 may be interconnected in various embodiments such that the burner1802 may not start, and thereby the hot water generator 118 does notheat the water, unless the engine 316 is running.

In various embodiments, the hot water generating system 102 includes acontroller enclosure 210 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The controllerenclosure 210 includes the system controller, which is in electricalcommunication with the various components of the hot water generatingsystem 102 and the canopy 104. The system controller is a ProgrammableLogic Controller (PLC) in various embodiments, which the operator mayprogram to control the temperature and pressure of the hot water outputof the hot water generating system 102 and the duration of the flow inthe canopy 104 through a treatment technique. In various embodiments,the system controller is in electrical communication with a user device3008 having a Human Machine Interface (HMI) 3010, both of which areillustrated in FIGS. 30-33, and are described in greater detail below.The user device 3008 may enable the operator to view a graphicrepresentation of information concerning the canopy treatment system 100and run the treatment technique via the system controller. In varioustreatment environments, a treatment temperature and treatment durationtime are controlled to treat the tree without irreparably damaging orkilling the tree. For example, the system controller may be configuredto shut off the flow of fluid through the nozzle 806 when a desiredtreatment time at a desired treatment temperature has been achieved. Invarious embodiments, the treatment temperature may be any temperaturewithin a range of temperatures, a temperature at or above a certaintemperature, or within a desired tolerance range above and/or below thecanopy temperature setpoint. In various embodiments, the treatmentduration time may be between 0 and 180 seconds. In an example, thetreatment may occur for a treatment duration time of approximately 30seconds at a canopy temperature setpoint of 126° F. In examples, thetreatment duration time may vary based on different canopy sizes. Invarious embodiments, the treatment duration time is no longer than 3minutes. In various other embodiments, the treatment duration time maybe any time suitable for heat treating the tree. In various otherembodiments, the water temperature, pressure, and treatment durationtime may be manually controlled. In various embodiments, the systemcontroller also incorporates various interlocks such as tank level,flow, temperature, pressure, and various other interlocks to protect thepump 120, the hot water generator 118, various other equipment, and thetreated tree or plants from potential damaging situations.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, in various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 102 includes an electric generator 308. In variousembodiments, the electric generator 308 may be utilized to power thesystem controller and provide power to lights 310. In variousembodiments, the lights 310 are mounted on the tank railing 214;however, the location of the lights 310 should not be consideredlimiting on the current disclosure. Additionally, the number of lights310 should not be considered limiting as in various other embodiments,any number of lights, including zero lights, may be utilized. Thedisclosure of the electric generator 308 should not be consideredlimiting on the current disclosure as in various other embodiments, theelectric generator 308 may be omitted and the hot water generatingsystem 102 may have a single power generator, such as the engine 316, orno power generator or power source.

FIGS. 4-7 show another embodiment of a hot water generating system 402.As illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, the hot water generating system 402includes a hot water generator 418, which may be functionally similar tothe hot water generator 118, and a pump 420, which may be functionallysimilar to the pump 120. In various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 402 also includes: a base 406, which may befunctionally similar to the base 106; a tank railing 414, which may befunctionally similar to the tank railing 214; the controller enclosure410, which may be functionally similar to the controller enclosure 210;a steam generator skid 426, which may be functionally similar to thesteam generator skid 302; a burner control wiring enclosure 428, whichmay be functionally similar to the burner control wiring enclosure 306,and an engine 416, which may be functionally similar to the engine 316.As illustrated in FIG. 4, the hot water generating system 402 includestwo water tanks 212 a,b. The water tank 212 a is a first water tank andthe water tank 212 b is a second water tank in fluid communication withthe water tank 212 a. The second water tank 212 b increases the capacityof fluid stored on a base 406 in various embodiments. The second watertank 212 b also allows one of the water tanks 212 to be filled while theother is being used.

In various embodiments, the base 406 also includes a generator railing422. In various embodiments, the generator railing 422 providesprotection for the components of the hot water generating system 402,such as the hot water generator 418 and the pump 420. As illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 5, in various embodiments, the hot water generating system402 includes equipment for monitoring various aspect of the hot watergenerating system 402. The hot water generating system 402 includes aheater temperature probe 440, a canopy valve 432, inlet and outletpressure gauges 434 a,b, a strainer 436, and a flow meter 438. The orderof the heater temperature probe 440, canopy valve 432, pressure gauges434 a,b, strainer 436, and flow meter 438 should not be consideredlimiting on the current disclosure.

In various embodiments, the heater temperature probe 440 is configuredto detect the temperature of the water exiting the hot water generator418. The heater temperature probe 440 may be in electrical communicationwith a burner control wiring enclosure, which may be functionallysimilar to the burner control wiring enclosure 306, to display thetemperature of the water on a temperature display (not illustrated),which may be functionally similar to the visual temperature display1806. In various embodiments, a second water temperature probe 430 inthe hot water generator outlet header may be in communication with thePLC. The operator may use the information from the temperature probe 430to control the temperature of the water output from the hot watergenerator 418 to maintain a desired outlet water temperature. The numberof temperature probes 430 should not be considered limiting on thecurrent disclosure.

The canopy valve 432 is utilized to control the flow of the pressurizedhot water from the hot water generator 418 to the canopy 104. The canopyvalve 432 may be actuated between a closed position, where fluid flowbetween the hot water generating system 402 and the canopy 104 isprevented, and an open position, where fluid flow between the hot watergenerating system 402 and the canopy 104 is permitted. In variousembodiments, the canopy valve 432 may be automatically controlledthrough the system controller, which may selectively open and close thecanopy valve 432 during heat treatment of the tree. In various otherembodiments, the canopy valve 432 may be manually controlled by theoperator. In various other embodiments, the canopy valve 432 may beautomatically positioned in a position other than open or closed by thePLC control signal or manually positioned. In various embodiments, theheated water is recirculated via a recirculation valve, which may befunctionally similar to the recirculation valve 1900, from the hot watergenerating system 402 to the tanks 212 a,b until the canopy valve 432 isopened.

The strainer 436 may be used to capture unwanted particles, such as rustor other debris, from within the hot water generating system 402. Thestrainer 436 may accordingly be drained periodically to prevent thebuildup of any unwanted particles. In various embodiments, the hot watergenerating system 402 includes the inlet and outlet pressure gauges 434a,b for measuring the pressure differential across a strainer 436. Invarious other embodiments, a single differential pressure gauge mayreplace the inlet and outlet pressure gauges, 434 a,b. In variousembodiments, when the pressure differential is above a predeterminedvalue, the strainer 436 may be drained to prevent the buildup ofunwanted particles, such as rust, within the water.

The flow meter 438 may be configured to take flow rate readings of thewater exiting the hot water generator 418. The flow meter 438 may be inelectrical communication with the system controller and may transmit theflow rate readings to the system controller. The operator may adjust afluid flow rate to achieve a desired flow through the hot watergenerating system 402 based on the readings from the flow meter 438. Invarious embodiments, the operator may adjust the recirculation valve toadjust the flow of water returning to the water tanks 212, and therebyadjust the flow rate of the water discharge to the canopy 104. Becausedifferent sized or dimensioned treatment rings 800 may utilize differentflow rates, the adjustability of the flow rate to the canopy 104 mayallow the hot water generating system 402 to accommodate various sizedtreatment rings 800 at desired flow rates.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4-7, in various embodiments, the controllerenclosure 410 is mounted on the tank railing 414. In variousembodiments, the base 406 includes feet 508 as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7.In various embodiments, the feet 508 may be utilized to position andsupport the base 406 on the vehicle 114 illustrated in FIG. 1. Throughthe feet 508, the hot water generating system 402 may define spacebetween the base 406 and the vehicle 114, which may be utilized to routevarious electrical components or piping components such as varioushoses, tubing, or other components.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate an example of the treatment ring 800 of thecanopy 104. In various embodiments, the treatment ring 800 is shapedsuch that the treatment ring 800 may surround the tree or plant to betreated. The treatment ring 800 may be shaped to surround the tree whilereducing void spaces within the treatment ring 800, which are spaceswithin the treatment ring 800 that are not filled by the tree. Reducingthe amount of void space may increase the energy efficiency of thecanopy treatment system 100 because less heated air is wasted in thevoid spaces. As illustrated in FIG. 8, in various embodiments, thetreatment ring 800 is an octagon shape. However, the treatment ring 800may be any desired shape in various other embodiments, such as arectangular shape (illustrated in FIG. 17), an annular shape such as acircle, or any other desired shape.

The treatment ring 800 may have a width such that the treatment ring 800surrounds the tree while reducing the amount of void space. For example,in various embodiments, a width of the treatment ring 800 may be between7 feet and 11 feet when the canopy treatment system 100 is used to treatcitrus trees. In various other embodiments, the treatment ring 800 mayhave any desired width.

In various embodiments, the treatment ring 800 is constructed from anumber of segments of piping; however, in various other embodiments, thetreatment ring 800 may be a single continuous pipe. The disclosure ofpiping should not be considered limiting on the current disclosure as invarious other embodiments, the treatment ring 800 is constructed fromtubes, pipes, hoses, or various other similar components or combinationsthereof enabling fluid flow through the treatment ring 800. In variousembodiments, the treatment ring 800 is constructed from various types ofpressure piping. For example, in various embodiments the treatment ring800 is constructed from pressure piping enabled to hold a fluid of asystem that operates at about 110 psig. In various embodiments, thepressure at which the tree canopy treatment system operates may be lessthan the maximum pressure that the pressure piping may hold. The type ofpressure piping used may be varied depending on the particularapplication.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, in various embodiments, the enclosedarea of the treatment ring 800 defines the treatment region 802. Duringheat treatment of a tree, the canopy treatment system 100 positions thecanopy 104 such that the tree is within the treatment region 802. Invarious embodiments, the treatment ring 800 includes fluid connectors804. In various embodiments, the treatment ring 800 includes at leastone spray nozzle 806 connected to at least one fluid connector 804. Thefluid connectors 804 may be a fitting, may be a threaded connector thatconnects with the piping of the treatment ring 800, may be welded to thepiping of the treatment ring 800, or may be connected to the treatmentring 800 through various other suitable mechanisms. Nozzles 806 may beplaced at various locations on the treatment ring 800 to enable a quickand uniform heating of the tree while within the canopy 104. In variousembodiments, the spray nozzles 806 are orientated to direct fluid intothe treatment region 802. In the present embodiments, the treatment ring800 includes six fluid connectors 804 and four spray nozzles 806;however, the number of fluid connectors 804 or the number of spraynozzles 806 should not be considered limiting on the current disclosure.

In various embodiments, the fluid connectors 804 without spray nozzles806 are either connected to the hosing 108, which is connected to thehot water generating system 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1, connected tointer-ring hosing 1208 (illustrated in FIG. 12), or the fluid connectors804 are plugged. In various embodiments, hosing 108 provides fluidcommunication between the treatment ring 800 and the hot watergenerating system 102, and the inter-ring hosing 1208 provides fluidcommunication between multiple treatment rings 800 when the canopy 104includes more than one treatment ring 800.

In various embodiments, the spray nozzle 806 may be selected from thegroup of nozzles including, but not limited to, full cone spray nozzles,hollow cone spray nozzles, fan spray nozzles, misting spray nozzles, airatomizing spray nozzles, special purpose spray nozzles, and variousother types of spray nozzles. In various embodiments, a single treatmentring 800 may include at least two different types of spray nozzles 806.In various embodiments with more than one treatment ring 800, the spraynozzle 806 on one treatment ring 800 may be a different spray nozzletype from a spray nozzle 806 on another treatment ring 800. Theconfiguration, number, type, or location of the spray nozzles 806 or thefluid connectors 804 on the treatment rings 800 should not be consideredlimiting on the current disclosure. In various embodiments, the number,location, or type of spray nozzles 806 may be varied depending on aparticular use of the canopy treatment system 100. For example, invarious embodiments, different spray nozzles 806 may be utilized todevelop different spray patterns within the treatment region 802 foroptimum heat distribution throughout the canopy 104. In variousembodiments, the number, location, and type of spray nozzles 806 may bedependent on the type of canopy 104. For example, a canopy 104 with a 7foot diameter may have nozzles 806 different from the spray nozzles 806of a canopy 104 with a 10 foot diameter.

In aspects of the present disclosure, the spray nozzles 806 atomize theheated fluid from the hot water generating system 102 to create steam ormist. In various embodiments, the spray nozzles 806 are orientated suchthat the fluid flow through the spray nozzles 806 creates a vortex ofsteam in the treatment region 802. Accordingly, the spray nozzles 806circulate the steam around and through various portions of the tree foran approximately even distribution of the fluid within the canopy 104.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, in various embodiments, the treatmentring 800 includes vertical connectors 810. As illustrated in FIG. 9, invarious embodiments, the vertical connectors 810 include a top connector900 and a bottom connector 902. In various embodiments where the canopy104 includes more than one treatment ring 800, as illustrated in FIG. 12and described in greater detail below, the vertical connectors 810provide mechanical connections enabling adjacent treatment rings 800 tobe vertically connected. As described in greater detail below, invarious embodiments, adjacent treatment rings 800 may be connected toeach other through various support mechanisms. In various otherembodiments, the connectors 810 may be formed on other components of thetreatment ring 800, such as the fluid connectors 804, the ring unions812, the pipes of the treatment ring 800 themselves, or various othercomponents and suitable combinations thereof. In addition, in variousembodiments, the vertical connectors 810 may be positioned at otherlocation on the treatment ring 800 and do not necessarily have to be incorners of the treatment ring 800. In various other embodiments, somevertical connectors 810 may only have top connectors 900 or bottomconnectors 902. For example, in various embodiments, the verticalconnectors 810 of the lower-most treatment ring 800 or the base ring1202 may only have top connectors 900.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the treatment ring 800 may include ringunions 812. In various embodiments where the treatment ring 800 isconstructed from segments of piping or tubing, the ring unions 812 mayconnect the segments of piping or tubing in place of the fluidconnectors 804. The ring unions 812 may be easily connected anddisconnected in various embodiments such that the treatment ring 800 maybe easily assembled and disassembled for easy transport of the treatmentring 800 if desired by the operator. The use of ring unions is notintended to be limiting, and other mechanical connections could be used(e.g., flanges, etc.).

FIG. 10 illustrates a portion of the treatment ring 800 taken fromdetail 10 in FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the vertical connector810 includes a first portion 1000 and a second portion 1002 angledrelative to the first portion 1000 at an angle α. In variousembodiments, angle α may be any desired angle depending on the desiredshape of the treatment ring 800. In various embodiments, the angle α maybe 45° when the treatment ring 800 is octagon-shaped. FIG. 10 alsoillustrates the spray nozzle 806 connected to the fluid connector 804.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the vertical connector 810. Asillustrated in FIG. 11, in various embodiments, the top connector 900defines a top connecting bore 1100 as a connecting mechanism and thebottom connector 902 defines a bottom connecting bore 1102 as aconnecting mechanism. The disclosure of connecting bores 1100, 1102should not be considered limiting on the current disclosure as invarious other embodiments, the connection mechanism may be selected fromthe group of connecting mechanisms including, but not limited to, hooks,hooks and loops, buckles, clasps, pins, bolts, screws, and various otherconnecting mechanisms. In various embodiments, the connecting bores1100, 1102 may connect with the various vertical support mechanismsenabling vertical mechanical connection between adjacent treatment rings800.

FIG. 12 illustrates a plurality of treatment rings 800, a support ring1200, and a base ring 1202 of the canopy 104. In the present embodiment,the canopy 104 includes three treatment rings 800 a,b,c; however, thenumber of treatment rings 800 included with the canopy 104 should not beconsidered limiting on the current disclosure. As illustrated in FIG.12, the treatment rings 800 a,b,c of the canopy 104 are aligned suchthat the treatment regions 802 a,b,c of each ring 800 a,b,c,respectively, are offset. In various embodiments, the spray nozzles 806b of the treatment ring 800 b are different from the spray nozzles 806a,c of the treatment rings 800 a,c, respectively. In variousembodiments, the spray nozzles 806 b are cone nozzles and the spraynozzles 806 a,c are fan nozzles. In various embodiments, the base ring1202 defines a bottom opening 1204. In various embodiments, the alignedtreatment regions 802 and bottom opening 1204 define a canopy treatmentregion 1212. In various embodiments, the tree to be treated ispositioned in the canopy treatment region 1212 during heat treatment.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, according to various aspects, the canopy 104includes the inter-ring hosing 1208 between adjacent rings 800 such thatrings 800 a,b,c are in fluid communication with each other. In variousembodiments, the inter-ring hosing 1208 a,b is connected to fluidconnectors 804 a,b,c, of each treatment ring 800 a,b,c, respectively,that are without spray nozzles 806 and enables fluid communicationbetween the multiple treatment rings 800 a,b,c. As illustrated in FIG.12, the hosing 1208 a connects the treatment ring 800 a with thetreatment ring 800 b such that the treatment rings 800 a,b are in fluidcommunication, and the hosing 1208 b connects the treatment ring 800 bwith the treatment ring 800 c such that the treatment rings 800 b,c arein fluid communication such that the hosing 1208 a and hosing 1208 bconnect to treatment ring 800 b with fluid connector 804 b located 180°apart. This provides even pressure drop inside ring 800 b. Thedisclosure of inter-ring hosing 1208 should not be considered limitingas in various other embodiments, the treatment rings 800 are in fluidcommunication with each other through piping, tubing, or any othersuitable mechanism for fluid communication. In embodiments with a singletreatment ring 800, the inter-ring hosing 1208 may be excluded from thecanopy 104.

In various embodiments, one of the plurality of treatment rings 800a,b,c, such as the treatment ring 800 a, is connected to the hosing 108(not illustrated in FIG. 12). In various embodiments, the hosing 108 isconnected to one of the fluid connectors 804 a without a spray nozzle806 a and that is on opposite side of 800 a where the inter-ring hosing1208 a is connected. In various embodiments, the hosing 108 enablesfluid communication between the treatment rings 800 and the hot watergenerating system 102 such that the hot and pressurized fluid generatedby the hot water generating system 102 is transported to the treatmentrings 800.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, in various embodiments, in addition to thetreatment rings 800, the canopy 104 includes the support ring 1200 andthe base ring 1202. The number, location, or shape of any of thetreatment ring 800, support ring 1200, or base ring 1202 should not beconsidered limiting on the current disclosure as in various embodiments,the treatment rings 800, support ring 1200, or base ring 1202 may haveany desired shape, number, or location.

In various embodiments, the treatment rings 800, support ring 1200, andbase ring 1202 are mechanically connected to each other through supportmechanisms 1206. In various embodiments, the support mechanisms 1206 maybe various support mechanisms including, but not limited to, ropes,cables, chains, rods, beams, and various other support mechanismsenabling mechanical connectivity between the various rings 800, 1200,1202 of the canopy 104. In various embodiments, instead of a series ofchains between the rings 800, 1200, 1202, the support mechanisms 1206may be a single long chain at the peripheral positions to which therings 800, 1200, 1202 are attached. In various embodiments, instead of aseries of chains or a single long chain, a single cable maybe used. Invarious embodiments, the support mechanisms 1206 are collapsible orextendable such that a distance between adjacent rings may be varied.Various collapsible or extendable support mechanisms 1206 include, butare not limited to, telescoping rods, telescoping beams, ropes, cables,chains, and various other similar support mechanisms.

The height of the canopy 104 is defined as a distance from the top ringof the canopy 104, such as the support ring 1200, to the bottom ring ofthe canopy 104, such as the base ring 1202. In various otherembodiments, the top ring may be one treatment ring 800 or the bottomring may be one treatment ring 800. In various embodiments utilizingcollapsible or extendable support mechanisms 1206, the height of thecanopy 104 may be varied between an extended height (illustrated in FIG.15) and a collapsed height (illustrated in FIG. 13). In variousembodiments, the height of the canopy 104 at the extended height isgreater than the height of the canopy 104 at the collapsed height. Invarious other embodiments, the support mechanisms 1206 are rigid suchthat a distance between adjacent rings may not be varied. Various rigidsupport mechanisms 1206 include non-telescoping rods, beams, and variousother similar support mechanisms. In the present embodiment, the supportmechanisms 1206 are chains.

In various embodiments, the support ring 1200 includes a supportconnector 1214 that may connect to the jib 110. In various embodiments,the jib 110 is connected to the support connector 1214 through aconnection mechanism (not illustrated) such as hooks, shackles, hooksand loops, buckles, clasps, pins, bolts, screws, and various othersimilar connection mechanisms.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, in various embodiments, the support ring 1200defines a top opening 1210 in a center portion of the support ring 1200.In various embodiments, the base ring 1202 is a weighted ring. Invarious embodiments, the base ring 1202 is identical to the treatmentrings 800 but is without any spray nozzles 806 or connecting hoses 1208.In various embodiments where the support mechanisms 1206 are collapsibleor extendable, the base ring 1202 may aid in varying the height of thecanopy 104 between the collapsed height and the extended height. Invarious embodiments, the canopy 104 may be in the collapsed state toallow for easier transport.

In various embodiments, the cover 112 illustrated in FIG. 1 is drapedaround and surrounds the treatment rings 800. The cover 112 may alsosurround the support ring 1200 and may also surround the base ring 1202in various embodiments. In various embodiments, the cover 112 alsocovers the top opening 1210 of the support ring 1200. The cover 112 isutilized to contain moisture and heat within the canopy treatment region1212 of the canopy 104. In various embodiments, the cover 112 includessealable flaps (not illustrated). The sealable flaps may be utilized bythe operator to cover or uncover the top opening 1210, which may aid intemperature control within the treatment region 1212 during varyingambient conditions. By covering the top opening 1210, the canopy 104traps heat within the treatment region 1212 during both heat treatmentand during movement of the canopy 104 when the sealable flaps are closedor when the sealable flaps are omitted. The canopy 104 trapping heatduring both heat treatment and movement reduces the amount of heat lostfrom the canopy 104 while the canopy 104 is moved from one tree to thenext tree to be treated and accordingly reduces the amount of timeneeded to heat the treatment region 1212 back up to temperatures totreat the trees.

FIG. 13 illustrates the canopy treatment system 100 with canopy 104 atthe collapsed height. FIG. 14 illustrates the canopy treatment system100 with the canopy 104 between the collapsed height and the extendedheight. FIG. 15 illustrates the canopy treatment system 100 with thecanopy 104 at the extended height. In various embodiments, the canopy104 is in the extended height while the elevating mechanism 116 raisesand lowers the canopy 104 around the tree to be treated. The canopy 104may be raised and lowered without having to return the canopy 104 to thecollapsed height. Raising and lowering the canopy 104 in the extendedheight may increase the energy efficiency of the canopy treatment system100 because the heated air may be retained within the canopy 104 even asthe canopy 104 is moved between trees or plants to be treated.

FIG. 15 illustrates the canopy 104 at the extended height. Asillustrated in FIG. 15, the cover 112 is draped around and surrounds thetreatment rings 800. As illustrated in FIG. 15, in various embodiments,the base opening 1204 of the base ring 1202 is positioned over a tree1500 to be treated before the canopy 104 is positioned around the tree1500. To treat the tree 1500, the canopy 104 may be lowered over thetree 1500 such that the tree 1500 is positioned in the canopy treatmentregion 1212 defined by the treatment rings 800. In various embodiments,the canopy 104 is positioned around the tree 1500 with the base ring1202 positioned on the ground. As illustrated in FIG. 15, in variousembodiments, the temperature transmitter 1502 a is attached to the tree1500. In various other embodiments, the temperature transmitter 1502 amay be positioned at any location on the tree 1500 or at any otherlocation proximate to the tree 1500 such that the temperaturetransmitter 1502 a will be within the treatment region 1212 to monitorthe temperature within the treatment region 1212 when the canopy 104 islowered over the tree 1500. In various embodiments, the temperaturetransmitters 1502 a,b may communicate with the PLC via a wired orwireless communication system.

In examples, dual temperature transmitters 1502 a,b may be implementedsuch that one of the temperature transmitters 1502 a may be placed on afirst tree while temperature transmitter 1502 b is placed on a secondtree. In this example, the first tree may be treated while thetemperature transmitter 1502 b is affixed to the second tree. Then, thesecond tree can be treated while the temperature transmitter 1502 a isremoved from the first tree and affixed to a third tree. In this way,the process of treating the trees may be expedited.

FIG. 16 illustrates a schematic of a hot water generating system 1602.The hot water generating system 1602 includes a hot water generator1618, which may be functionally similar to the hot water generators 118,418, and a pump 1620, which may be functionally similar to the pumps120, 420. The hot water generating system 1602 also includes an engine1616, which may be functionally similar to the engines 316, 416, andconfigured to drive the pump 1620. The hot water generating system 1602also includes a skid 1626, which may be functionally similar to theskids 302, 426, and a base 1606, which may be functionally similar tothe bases 106, 406. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the hot water generatingsystem 1602 includes the two water tanks 212 a,b; however, in variousother embodiments, any desired number of water tanks 212 may beutilized.

In various embodiments, each water tank 212 a,b may be used for filling,recirculation, or redundancy. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the water tanks212 a,b may be connected through a hose 1608 a such that a fluid levelin the water tanks 212 a,b will rise and fall together, and the watertanks 212 a,b thereby act as a single water tank. In variousembodiments, hose 1608 b may connect to either or both water tanks 212a,b. In various embodiments, the water tanks 212 a,b are supplied withfluid from a water source A, which may be a soft water source. The watertank 212 a may include a water level transmitter 1612, which may befunctionally similar to the water level transmitter 312. In variousembodiments, the water tanks 212 may be omitted if, for example, thebase 1606 is attached to a water supply.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the water tanks 212 a,b are connected to thepump 1620 through a hose 1608 b such that water may flow between thewater tanks 212 a,b and the pump 1620. As illustrated in FIG. 16, invarious embodiments, the supply system 1602 may optionally include astrainer 1610 between the water tanks 212 a,b and the pump 1620;however, the disclosure of the strainer 1610 should not be consideredlimiting on the current disclosure. The pump 1620 is connected to thehot water generator 1618 through a hose 1608 c. In various embodiments,a burner 1642, which may be functionally similar to the burner 1802, isutilized to provide heat into the water.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the hot water generating system 1602 mayinclude storage tanks 1614 a,b. In various embodiments, the storage tank1614 a stores a fuel supply for the engine 1616 and the storage tank1614 b stores a fuel supply for the burner 1642.

In various embodiments where the fuel for the engine 1616 is differentfrom the fuel for the burner 1642, the storage tank 1614 a may besupplied with fuel from a fuel source B and the storage tank 1614 b maybe supplied from a fuel source C. However, in various other embodiments,the engine 1616 and burner 1642 may use the same fuel and a single fuelsource may be utilized.

In various embodiments, the supply system 1602 includes a recirculationvalve 1622, which may be functionally similar to the recirculation valve1900. The recirculation valve 1622 may be positioned between the pump1620 and the hot water generator 1618. In various embodiments, therecirculation valve 1622 is opened and recirculates water dischargedfrom the pump 1620 to the water tank 212 a or 212 b when a canopy valve1630 is closed. The recirculation valve 1622 is adjustable to adjust theamount of fluid flow from the pump 1620 to the water tank 212 a and fromthe pump 1620 to the hot water generator 1618. Because the temperatureof the outlet fluid from the hot water generating system 1602 depends onthe amount of fluid flow through the hot water generator 1618, adjustingthe recirculation valve 1622 to adjust fluid flow may change thetemperature of the outlet fluid.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, in various embodiments, the supply system1602 includes a meter 1624 between the pump 1620 and the hot watergenerator 1618. The meter 1624 may indicate the pressure and/or flow offluid exiting the pump 1620. The operator may use this information toadjust the pressure and flow within the supply system 1602 by adjustingthe recirculation valve 1622 to achieve a particular pressure in thepump discharge. In various embodiments, the meter 1624 and therecirculation valve 1622 may be in electrical or wireless communicationwith the PLC, and the PLC will control the position of the recirculationvale 1622 to maintain an operator selected setpoint of meter 1624.

The supply system 1602 may include low flow switches 1628 a,b, which maybe functionally similar to 1816 a,b, between the pump 1620 and the hotwater generator 1618 in various embodiments. The number of low flowswitches 1628 should not be considered limiting on the currentdisclosure. The low flow switches 1628 a,b may be utilized to detect theflow of water to the hot water generator 1618. In various embodiments,the low flow switches 1628 a,b are in electrical communication with aburner control wiring enclosure (not illustrated), which may be similarto the burner control wiring enclosure 306. The low flow switches 1628a,b may aid in controlling when the burner 1642 turns on and off.Accordingly, the low flow switches 1628 a,b may aid in reducing damageto the burner 1642 by preventing the burner 1642 from turning on whenwater flow below a predetermined flow rate is detected.

Heated water may exit the hot water generator 1618. Together, the pump1620 and hot water generator 1618 pressurize the water from the tanks212 a,b and heat the water under pressure. The canopy valve 1630, whichmay be functionally similar to the canopy valves 1902, 432, is connectedto the hot water generator 1618 through a hosing 1608 d. The canopyvalve 1630 regulates the flow of the heated and pressurized water fromthe hot water generating system 1602 to the canopy 104, and may beautomatically controlled by the system controller. In variousembodiments, the heated water is recirculated via the recirculationvalve 1622 from the hot water generating system 1602 to the tanks 212a,b through a hosing 1608 e until the canopy valve 1630 is opened.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the hot water generating system 1602 includesa first temperature probe 1632 which may be functionally similar to theheater temperature probe 440, and a second temperature probe 1634, whichmay be functionally similar to temperature probe 430. In variousembodiments, the first temperature probe 1632 communicates with theburner control wiring enclosure to display the temperature of the wateron a temperature display. The second temperature probe 1634 maycommunicate with the system controller. The operator may use theinformation from the second temperature probe 1634 to adjustably controlthe temperature of the outlet water from the hot water generator 1618and maintain a desired outlet water temperature. The second temperatureprobe 1634 may also communicate the temperature to the burner controllerin various embodiments. In various embodiments, a single temperatureprobe such as the first temperature probe 1632 may communicate thetemperature to both the PLC and the burner controller.

The hot water generating system 1602 may include a strainer 1636, whichmay be functionally similar to the strainer 436, and inlet and outletpressure gauges 1638 a,b, which may be functionally similar to inlet andoutlet pressure gauges 434 a,b. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the hot watergenerating system 1602 may also include the flow meter 1624, which maybe functionally similar to the flow meter 438. As illustrated in FIG. 16and FIG. 17, the hot water generating system 1602 is connected to thecanopy 104 through the hosing 108.

In various embodiments, the canopy valve 1630 is in communication withthe system controller applying the treatment technique. In variousembodiments, the operator may program the system controller by enteringin a desired treatment duration time, a desired treatment temperature,and/or a desired treatment pressure from the operator. The treatmentduration time may be any length of time suitable for treating the tree,plant, or item to be treated. The user may select a start button toinitiate the treatment technique, which communicates with the canopyvalve 1630 to permit fluid flow from the hot water generating system1602 to the canopy 104. In various embodiments, the user selects thestart button after a temperature transmitter, such as temperaturetransmitter 1502 a, is positioned near the center of the tree 1500 andthe canopy 104 is positioned over and is lowered around a tree to betreated.

The system controller accordingly uses the treatment duration time,treatment temperature, and/or treatment pressure to control thetemperature and pressure of the water output by the hot water generatingsystem 1602 and the duration of the fluid flow through the spray nozzles806 of the canopy 104 during the treatment technique. Through the HMI3010 of the user device 3008, the operator may visually monitor variousaspects of the canopy treatment system 100. For example, the user device3008 may allow the operator to monitor the water level within the watertank 212 a as determined by the water level transmitter 1612, the on/offstatus of the burner 1642, various temperatures as recorded by thevarious temperature probes 1632, 1634, 1502 a,b, the open/closedposition of the canopy valve 1630, flow levels as recorded by the flowswitches 1628 a,b, the start/stop function of the hot water generator1618, a treatment duration timer, a treatment cycle counter, variousalarms and warnings, or various other aspects of the canopy treatmentsystem 100.

In various embodiments, the hot water generator 1618 is controlledthrough the system controller to maintain a desired outlet watertemperature and to maintain a desired temperature in the treatmentregion 1212. When the canopy valve 1630 of the hot water generatingsystem 1602 is opened, hot water from the hot water generating system1602 flows to the canopy 104. The treatment rings 800 spray the hotwater through the spray nozzles 806. In various embodiments, thetemperature transmitter 1502 a transmits a temperature signal includingthe detected temperature within the canopy treatment region 1212 to thesystem controller. In various embodiments, the system controllerselectively opens and closes the canopy valve 1630 to maintain a desiredtemperature within the treatment regions 1212 during heat treatment andcloses the canopy valve 1630 when a desired treatment time at a desiredtemperature has been achieved. In various embodiments, the canopy valve1630 may be modulated continuously by a PLC signal to maintain thetreatment temperature within the canopy region 1212 at the operatorselected temperature.

FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic of the canopy 104. Any reference belowto the hot water generating system 1602 is equally applicable to the hotwater generating system 102 or the hot water generating system 402. Whenthe canopy valve 1630 is opened, hot water from the hot water generatingsystem 1602 flows through the hosing 108 to the canopy 104. In variousembodiments, the canopy 104 is lowered around the tree 1500 (illustratedin FIG. 15) to be treated until the base ring 1202 rests on the groundsurface. The canopy 104 sprays the hot water through spray nozzle 806 ofthe treatment ring 800. The number and orientation of spray nozzles 806and treatment rings 800 shall not be limiting on the current disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the temperature transmitter 1502 a may bepositioned at a location that will be within the canopy 104 in thetreatment region 1212, which is defined by the aligned treatment regions802 a,b,c. In various other embodiments, the temperature transmitter1502 b may be positioned at the location that will be within the canopy104. While the tree is being treated, the user may place the secondtemperature transmitter 1502 b at the next tree to be treated (notillustrated). The number of temperature transmitters 1502 should not beconsidered limiting on the current disclosure. In various embodiments,after the heat treatment of the tree is finished, the canopy 104 israised and the canopy treatment system 100 is relocated to the next treewhere the process starts again.

In various embodiments, the temperature transmitters 1502 transmit atemperature signal to the system controller to communicate the detectedtemperature. The canopy treatment region 1212 may be heated to atemperature that is sufficient to reduce and/or prevent diseaseinfection in a plant. For example, in various embodiments, thetemperature may be at a temperature between 121° F. and 135° F., such aswithin the canopy temperature setpoint range, the canopy hightemperature limit range, or the canopy high-high temperature limitrange. In various embodiments, the spray continues until a desiredtreatment temperature is maintained at an adjustable temperature levelfor an adjustable time period.

FIG. 18 illustrates an electrical schematic of the burner control wiringenclosure 306 for the canopy treatment system 100. In variousembodiments, the burner control wiring enclosure 306 is in electricalcommunication with a temperature probe 1818, which may be functionallysimilar to the heater temperature probe 440. The burner control wiringenclosure 306 displays the temperature detected by the temperature probe1818 on the visual temperature display 1806. The burner control wiringenclosure 306 also includes the hour meter 1804 in various embodiments,which counts the amount of time that the engine 316 has been inoperation. The burner controller may communicate with the systemcontroller through the start/stop relay 1808 such that the temperatureof the burner 1802 may be controlled to get a desired water temperatureoutput from the hot water generator 118.

In various embodiments, when the treatment technique is initiated, thesystem controller opens the canopy valve 1902 (illustrated in FIG. 19)to permit fluid flow from the hot water generating system 102 to thenozzles 806 of the canopy 104. The flowing water may activate flowswitches 1816 a,b, which may be functionally similar to the flowswitches 1628 a,b, and thereby enable the burner 1802 to fire up and toheat the water in the hot water generator 118. In various embodiments,the burner on/off switch 1810 is turned “on” before the burner 1802 isenabled to fire. In various embodiments, if flow, as measured by the lowflow switches 1816 a,b, is lost or below a predetermined low flowthreshold, the burner 1802 will shut off. A circuit breaker 1812 mayalso be used to disrupt the circuit in various embodiments. In variousembodiments, after water heats the canopy 104 to a desired temperaturelevel and a treatment duration time has expired, the canopy valve 1902will shut and the burner 1802 will cease firing due to the loss of flowacross the flow switches 1816 a,b. The water flow will then recirculateto the tank 212 via the recirculation valve 1900.

In various embodiments, the conditions that may be satisfied for theburner to operate include the system controller being turned on andoptionally in communication with the user device 3008, the engine 316being running, which in turn operates the pump 120, an “on” switch beingturned on, a minimum water flow through hot water generator 118 asverified through low flow switches 1816 a,b and the water level in thetank 212 being above the predetermined water level. In variousembodiments, if water levels in the tank 212 are too low, a low leveltrip of the water level transmitter 312 is activated, which may preventthe engine 316 from operating until the water tanks are refilled.

FIG. 19 illustrates a diagram of the flow path of water through thecanopy treatment system 100. Water may be held in a water tank 212. Thepump 120 pumps water from the water tank 212 to the hot water generator118. As illustrated in FIG. 19, in various embodiments, the water mayflow through a flow meter 1906, which may be functionally similar to theflow meter 438, 1624, and past the low flow switches 1816 a,b to the hotwater generator 118. The water is heated in the hot water generator 118and exits the hot water generator 118 to flow past the temperature probe1818 and to the canopy valve 1902. When the canopy valve 1902 is open,the hot water flows to the canopy 104 to treat the tree. One of thetemperature transmitters 1502 a,b is positioned within the canopy 104 tomonitor the temperature of the atmosphere created by the hot water inthe canopy 104. In various embodiments, when the canopy valve 1902 isclosed, water exiting the pump 120 is recirculated to the water tank 212via the recirculation valve 1900.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a main routine 2000 fortreating a tree with the canopy treatment system 100 having the hotwater generating system 102 and the canopy 104. Reference below to thehot water generating system 102 is also applicable to the hot watergenerating systems 402, 1602. It should be noted that any of the stepsof any of the methods described herein may be performed in any suitableorder or could be performed in sub-steps that are done in any suitableorder or that are separated in time from each other by other steps orsub-steps, and the disclosure of a particular order of steps should notbe considered limiting on the current disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, after starting the routine, the operatorturns an engine switch of the engine 316 to an “on” position in step2002. In step 2004, the operator determines whether the engine 316 isrunning. If the engine 316 is not running, in step 2006, the operatordetermines whether the water level in the water tank 212 is at or belowa predetermined level. In various embodiments, the operator is notifiedof the low water level through a low level alert that is displayed onthe user device 3008 when the water level transmitter 312 detects thatthe water level in the tank 212 is below the predetermined level. If thewater level is low, in step 2008, the operator fills the water tank 212with water and returns to step 2004. If the engine is not running andthe water tank level is not low, in step 2010, the operator turns theengine switch to an “off” position and the operator troubleshoots thecause of the failure of the engine 316 to start.

In step 2012, if the engine 316 is running, the operator determines ifthe water level in the water tank 212 is low. If the water level in thewater tank 212 is low, in step 2014, the operator fills the water tank212 with water and returns to step 2004. If the water level in the watertank 212 is not low, in step 2016, the operator turns the burner switch1810 to an “on” position.

In step 2020, the operator selects one of the temperature transmitters1502 and places it within the canopy of the tree to be treated. Afterthe operator places one of the temperature transmitters 1502 adjacent tothe tree, in step 2022, the operator lowers the canopy 104 over the treeto be treated such that the tree is positioned within the canopytreatment region 1212. In step 2024, tree temperature controlsub-routine takes place. In step 2026, the operator determines whetheranother tree is to be treated with heat treatment. If another tree is tobe treated, the main routine 2000 returns to step 2020. If there is notanother tree to be treated, the main routine 2000 ends.

FIG. 21 illustrates a flow chart of the tree temperature controlsub-routine 2100 according to various embodiments. As illustrated inFIG. 21, in step 2102, the operator selects a temperature transmittericon 3240 a,b (illustrated in FIG. 32), on the HMI 3010 of the userdevice 3008. The temperature transmitter icon 3240 selected on the HMI3010 corresponds with the temperature transmitter 1502 selected by theoperator in step 2020. In various embodiments, the icons 3240 may haveany color such as red, green, blue, yellow, or any other desired coloror indicia. In various embodiments, the temperature transmitter icon3240 a corresponding with the temperature transmitter 1502 a may be adifferent color or indicia from the temperature transmitter icon 3240 bcorresponding with the temperature transmitter 1502 b. In step 2104, thesystem controller opens the canopy valve 1902. In step 2112, the burnercontrol sub-routine (illustrated in FIG. 22) is launched. In step 2106,the system controller starts a safety timer. In various embodiments, thesafety timer is 3 minutes; however, in various embodiments, the safetytimer may be any suitable maximum treatment duration time under anycondition that would prevent exposure of the tree to heat for anextended amount of time sufficient to cause damage to the tree.

In step 2108, the system controller determines whether the safety timerhas expired. If the safety timer has expired, the routine proceeds tostep 2134, where the system controller initiates an alarm on the HMI3010. Then, in step 2136, the canopy valve 1902 closes, and in step2137, all timers are reset to zero. In step 2138, the operator resetsthe alarm (if needed) after the canopy closes in step 2136 and thetimers are reset to zero in step 2137.

If the safety timer has not expired at step 2108, the routine 2024proceeds to step 2110, where the system controller receives a treetemperature, which is the temperature within the treatment region 1212as measured by the temperature transmitter 1502 within the treatmentregion 1212, and determines whether the tree temperature is at or abovethe canopy temperature setpoint. As previously described, in variousembodiments, the canopy temperature setpoint may be a temperature range,such as between 121° F. and 131° F. In examples, the canopy temperaturesetpoint may be a particular temperature, such as about 126° F. If thetree temperature is not at or above the canopy setpoint temperature, theroutine 2024 returns to step 2108. If the tree temperature is at orabove the canopy temperature setpoint, the routine 2024 proceeds to step2114, where the system controller determines whether the treatmentduration timer is running. The treatment duration time may be programmedby the operator on the user device 3008.

If the treatment duration timer is not running, the routine 2024proceeds to step 2132, where the system controller starts the timer, andthen returns to step 2108. If the treatment duration timer is running,the routine 2024 proceeds to step 2116, where the system controllerdetermines whether the treatment duration timer has expired. If thetreatment duration timer has expired, the routine 2024 proceeds to step2124. If the treatment duration timer has not expired, the routine 2024proceeds to step 2118, where the system controller determines whetherthe tree temperature is at or above the canopy high temperature limit.As previously described, in various embodiments, the canopy hightemperature limit may be a temperature within a range between 124° F.and 134° F. In examples, the canopy high temperature limit may be about129° F. If the tree temperature is not above the canopy high temperaturelimit, the routine 2024 returns to step 2108. If the tree temperature isabove the canopy high temperature limit, the routine 2024 proceeds tostep 2120.

In step 2120, the system controller determines whether the treetemperature is at or above the canopy high-high temperature limit. Aspreviously described, in various embodiments, the canopy high-hightemperature limit may be a temperature within a range between 125° F.and 135° F. In examples, the canopy high-high temperature limit may beabout 130° F. If the tree temperature is not at or above the canopyhigh-high temperature limit, in step 2122 the system controllerinitiates an alarm with a temperature warning on the HMI 3010 of theuser device 3008, and then returns to step 2108. If the tree temperatureis at or above the high-high temperature limit, the routine 2024proceeds to step 2126, where the system controller closes the canopyvalve 1902. In various embodiments, the system controller may initiatean alarm on the HMI 3010 if the canopy valve 1902 has been closed beforethe treatment duration timer has run out.

In step 2124, the system controller adds a count of one to a cyclecounter. In various embodiments, the cycle counter may be visible to theoperator on the HMI 3010, as described in greater detail below. Afterthe system controller closes the canopy valve 1902 in step 2126, in step2128, the system controller resets all timers to zero. In step 2130 theoperator resets any alarms, and then the routine 2024 ends. After theroutine ends 2024, the system controller returns to the main routine2000.

FIG. 22 illustrates a flow chart of a burner control sub-routine 2200that was launched in step 2112 of the tree temperature controlsub-routine 2024 according to various embodiments. As illustrated in instep 2202, the system controller determines whether water flow asdetected by the low flow switches 1816 is adequate (i.e., at or below apredetermined fluid flow rate). If the water flow is below thepredetermined fluid flow rate, in step 2216, the system controllerdetermines if the burner 1802 is running. If the burner 1802 is notrunning, in step 2220, the operator turns burner switch 1810 to an “off”position, and in step 2222, the system controller closes the canopyvalve. In step 2224, all timers are reset to zero, and then at step2226, the operator corrects the cause of the low flow. At step 2228, theoperator turns the burner switch to an “on” position, and then at step2214, the burner control sub-routine 2200 returns to the treetemperature control sub-routine 2040.

If sufficient water flow is detected in step 2202, in step 2204, thesystem controller opens the burner fuel valve and the burner is started,if the burner is not already running.

In step 2206, the system controller determines whether a flame isdetected in the burner 1802. If a flame is not detected, in step 2230,the system controller attempts to automatically restart the burner 1802for 15 seconds or some other suitable duration while checking if a flameis detected. If the system controller does not detect a flame after the15 seconds or other suitable duration (step 2231), in step 2232, thesystem controller closes the burner fuel flow valve. In step 2234, theoperator resets the burner 1802 by turning the burner switch 1810 to an“off” position and then the “on” position. In step 2236, the systemcontroller closes the canopy valve, if it is not already closed, and instep 2215, all timers are reset to zero. The system controller returnsto tree temperature control sub-routine in step 2214.

If a flame is detected in step 2206, in step 2208, the system controllerdetermines whether the fluid temperature detected by the temperatureprobe 1818 is at or above a water high temperature limit. In variousembodiments, the water high temperature limit may be a temperaturebetween 265° F. and 285° F., such as about 275° F.

If the water temperature is not at or above the water high temperaturelimit, in step 2238, the system controller enables the burner to cycleon-off automatically to maintain the treatment temperature within thesetpoint range, and the routine 2200 returns to step 2202. If the watertemperature is at or above the high temperature limit in step 2208, thesystem controller determines whether the water temperature is at orabove a water high-high temperature limit. In various embodiments, thewater high-high temperature limit may be a temperature between 290° F.and 310° F., such as about 300° F. If the water temperature is not at orabove the water high-high temperature limit, in step 2240, the systemcontroller initiates the high temperature alarm and the routine 2200returns to step 2202. If the water temperature is at or above the waterhigh-high temperature limit, in step 2212 the system controller closesthe burner fuel flow valve and the canopy valve 1902 if the canopy valve1902 is not already closed. The timers are reset to zero in step 2215,and in step 2214, the system controller returns to tree temperaturecontrol sub-routine in step 2140. After being launched in step 2112 ofthe tree temperature control sub-routine 2100, the burner controlsub-routine 2200 may execute simultaneously or currently with the mainroutine 2000 and the tree temperature control sub-routine 2024 until themain routine 2000 ends. In other examples, the routines may execute invarious orders, as appropriate.

FIG. 23 illustrates another embodiment of a support ring 2300. Asillustrated in FIG. 23, in various embodiments, the support ring 2300 issimilar to the support ring 1200, but includes hinges 2302 a,b,c suchthat the support ring 2300 is foldable. Folding of the support ring 2300via the hinges 2302 a,b,c may make it easier for an operator totransport the support ring 2300. In various embodiments, the treatmentrings 800 and the base ring 1202 may also include hinges similar to thehinges 2302 a,b such that the treatment rings 800 and base ring 1202 arefoldable. In other embodiments, treatment rings 800 a,b,c and base ring1202 may have other mechanical devices similar to unions 812 a,b,c thatcan be separated to facilitate folding. As illustrated in FIG. 23, thesupport ring 2300 also includes a support connector 2314, which may befunctionally similar to the support connector 1214. FIG. 24 illustratesanother embodiment of a canopy 2404 with the support ring 2300 connectedto the treatment rings 800 a,b,c and the base ring 1202. FIG. 24 alsoillustrates the canopy 2404 in the collapsed height.

FIGS. 25-29 show an embodiment of a hot water generating system 2502.The hot water generating system 2502 includes a hot water generator2518, which may be functionally similar to the hot water generators 118,418, 1618, water tanks 212 a,b, and a pump 2520, which may befunctionally similar to the pumps 120, 420, 1620. The hot watergenerator 2518, water tanks 212 a,b, and pump 2520 are positioned on abase 2506, which may be functionally similar to the bases 106, 406,1606. As illustrated in FIG. 28, in various embodiments, the base 2506includes feet 2808, which may be functionally similar to the feet 508.As illustrated in FIG. 25, the base 2506 includes a tank railing 2514,which may functionally similar to 214, 414, and a generator railing2522, which may be functionally similar to 422. The hot water generatingsystem 2502 may also include an engine 2516 (illustrated in FIG. 26),which may be functionally similar to the engines 316, 416, 1616, aburner 2508, which may be functionally similar to the burners 1642,1802, and the storage tank 2570, which may be functionally similar tothe storage tanks 1614.

As illustrated in FIGS. 25-29, the hot water generating system 2502includes a recirculation valve 2510, which may be functionally similarto the recirculation valves 1622, 1900, low flow switches 2628 a,b(illustrated in FIG. 26), which may be functionally similar to the lowflow switches 1628 a,b and 1816 a,b, a water level transmitter 2812(illustrated in FIG. 28), which may be functionally similar to the waterlevel transmitter 312, 1612, a canopy valve 2530, which may befunctionally similar to the canopy valve 432, 1630, 1902, a firsttemperature probe 2532, which may be functionally similar to the firsttemperature probe 440, 1632, a second temperature probe 2534, which maybe functionally similar to the second temperature probe 430, 1634, 1818,a strainer 2536, which may be functionally similar to the strainer 436,1636, a flow meter 2640 (illustrated in FIG. 26), which may befunctionally similar to the flow meter 1624, 1906, a differentialpressure gauge 2638, which may be functionally similar to thedifferential pressure gauge 434, 1638, a burner control wiring enclosure2542, which may be functionally similar to the burner control wiringenclosure 306, 428, and the controller enclosure 210 (illustrated inFIG. 27), which may be functionally similar to 410. As illustrated inFIG. 25, the burner control wiring enclosure 2542 includes a burnerswitch 2544, which may be functionally similar to 1810, an hour counter2554, which may be functionally similar to 1804, and a visualtemperature display 2556, which is functionally similar to 1806.

In various embodiments, the hot water generating system 2502 alsoincludes a generator 2546, which may be functionally similar to theelectric generator 308, and lights 2548, which may be functionallysimilar to the lights 310. The hot water generating system 2502 alsoincludes the hosing 1608 and hosing 108. In various embodiments, the hotwater generating system 2502 includes an inlet pipe 2550, which may beutilized in refilling that water tanks 212 a,b. The location of any ofthe components within the hot water generating system 2502 should not beconsidered limiting on the current disclosure.

In various embodiments, the PLC is in electric communication with theuser device 3008 having the HMI 3010. The user device 3008 may allow theoperator to see a graphic of the operation of the canopy treatmentsystem 100 via the HMI 3010. For example, in various embodiments, theoperator device may allow the operator to see the water level within thewater tank 212, the on/off status of the burner 1802, varioustemperatures within the canopy treatment system 100, the open/closedposition of canopy valve 1902, flow levels through the canopy treatmentsystem 100, the start/stop function of the hot water generator 118, atreatment duration timer, a treatment cycle counter, various alarms andwarnings for the system, or various other aspects of the canopytreatment system 100.

Generally, FIGS. 30-33 relate to components and modules of a systemcontroller, such as the system controller 3002, which is a computingsystem. It should be understood that the system controller 3002 mayinclude any appropriate type of computing system and/or computingdevice, including for example smartphones, tablets, desktops, laptops,workstations, servers, programmable logic controllers (PLC), smartmonitors, smart televisions, digital signage, scientific instruments,retail point of sale devices, video walls, imaging devices, peripherals,networking equipment, wearable computing devices, or the like.

FIG. 30 illustrates a diagram of an environment 3000 to implement atreatment technique with a canopy treatment system, such as the canopytreatment system 100, according to various embodiments. In variousembodiments, the system controller 3002 is in wired or wirelesscommunication with the flow meter 1906, the temperature transmitters1502 a,b, the temperature probe 1818, the burner 1802, the water leveltransmitter 312, the canopy valve 1902, the flow switches 1816 a,b, andthe user device 3008 having the HMI 3010.

The flow meter 1906, temperature transmitters 1502 a,b, temperatureprobe 1818, burner 1802, water level transmitter 312, and flow switches1816 a,b may transmit data, respectively, to the system controller 3002via a wired or wireless network or other communicative path illustratedin FIG. 30 as dotted lines. These paths generally represent a networkthat may include hardware components and computers interconnected bycommunications channels that allow sharing of resources and information.The network may include one or more of a cable, wireless, fiber optic,or remote connection via a telecommunication link, an infrared link, aradio frequency link, or any other connectors or systems that provideelectronic communication. The network may include, at least in part, anintranet, the internet, or a combination of both. The network may alsoinclude intermediate proxies, routers, switches, load balancers, and thelike. The paths followed by the network between the devices as depictedin FIG. 30 represent the logical communication paths between and amongthese the system controller 3002, the flow meter 1906, the temperaturetransmitters 1502 a,b, the temperature probe 1818, the burner 1802, thewater level transmitter 312, the canopy valve 1902, the flow switches1816 a,b, and the user device 3008, not necessarily the physical pathsbetween and among the devices. In various embodiments, transceivers maybe included to communicate data between the various components. Thetransceivers may be any suitable device for sending, receiving, orsending and receiving data, such as a receiver, a transmitter, atransmitter-receiver, and/or a transceiver.

The system controller 3002 may include a processing resource 3004 thatrepresents generally any suitable type or form of processing unit orunits capable of processing data or interpreting and executinginstructions. The processing resource 3004 may be one or more centralprocessing units (CPUs), microprocessors, and/or other hardware devicessuitable for retrieval and execution of instructions.

The instructions may be stored, for example, on a memory resource 3006,such as computer-readable storage medium, which may include anyelectronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage device thatstore executable instructions. Thus, the memory resource may be, forexample, random access memory (RAM), electrically-erasable programmableread-only memory (EPPROM), a storage drive, an optical disk, and anyother suitable type of volatile or non-volatile memory that storesinstructions to cause a programmable processor (i.e., processingresource) to perform the techniques described herein. In examples, thememory resource includes a main memory, such as a RAM in which theinstructions may be stored during runtime, and a secondary memory, suchas a nonvolatile memory in which a copy of the instructions is stored.The memory resource 3006 is non-transitory in the sense that it does notencompass a transitory signal but instead is made up of one or morememory components configured to store the instructions for thesub-routines 2024, 2200. The memory resource 3006 may be representativeof a memory resource and may store machine executable instructions forthe sub-routines 2024, 2200, which are executable on a computing systemsuch as the system controller 3002 in conjunction with processingresource 322.

Alternatively or additionally, the system controller 3002 may includededicated hardware, such as one or more integrated circuits, ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Specific SpecialProcessors (ASSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), or anycombination of the foregoing examples of dedicated hardware, forperforming the techniques described herein. In some implementations,multiple processing resources (or processing resources utilizingmultiple processing cores) may be used, as appropriate, along withmultiple memory resources and/or types of memory resources.

The user device 3008 includes the HMI 3010. The HMI 3010 may be orinclude a monitor, a touchscreen, a projection device, and/or atouch/sensory display device. The HMI 3010 may display text, images, andother appropriate graphical content. The system controller 3002 may alsoinclude a network interface to communicatively couple the systemcontroller 3002 to the transceivers, other computing systems, and/orcomputing devices. The system controller 3002 may also include anysuitable input and/or output device, such as a mouse, keyboard, printer,external disk drive, or the like.

FIG. 31 illustrates a block diagram of the system controller 3002according to various embodiments. The system controller 3002 includesthe processing resource 3002 and the memory resource 3006. The systemcontroller 3002 may include a burner control module 3102 and a canopycontrol module 3104. The burner control module 3102 may be utilized toimplement the burner control sub-routine 2200 described above. Thecanopy control module 3104 may be utilized to implement the treetemperature control sub-routine 2024 described above.

In examples, the modules described herein may be a combination ofhardware and programming instructions. The programming instructions maybe processor executable instructions stored on a tangible memoryresource such as a computer-readable storage medium or other memoryresource, and the hardware may include a processing resource forexecuting those instructions. Thus the memory resource can be said tostore program instructions that when executed by the processing resourceimplement the modules described herein.

Other modules may also be utilized in other examples. In differentimplementations, more, fewer, and/or other components, modules,instructions, and arrangements thereof may be used according to theteachings described herein. In addition, various components, modules,etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-executableinstructions, hardware modules, special-purpose hardware (e.g.,application specific hardware, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), and the like), or some combination or combinations of these.

FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate screenshots of the HMI 3010 of the userdevice 3008 that the operator may utilize to monitor, program, and runthe treatment technique as described herein with the canopy treatmentsystem 100. The screen of the HMI 3010 in FIG. 32 illustrates a graphicof the hot water generating system 102 and FIG. 33 illustrates a graphicof the canopy 104.

As illustrated in FIG. 32, the HMI 3010 illustrates a water levelindicator 3210 illustrating the water level within the water tank 212 asmeasured by the water level transmitter 312. A flow indicator 3212indicates the flow level between the pump 120 and the hot watergenerator 118, which may be measured by the flow meter 438. An outlettemperature indicator 3214 indicates the temperature of the waterexiting the hot water generator 118, which may be measured by thetemperature probe 1634. A canopy valve indicator 3216 indicates theposition of the canopy valve 1902. A hot water generator indicator 3218may indicate the on/off status of the hot water generator 118 and theburner 1802.

A clock 3219 display the current date and/or time. A timer 3220 displaysthe current treatment time and runs from zero to the set treatmentduration time, which may be programmed by the operator. The total burnerrun hours 3222 displays the total burner run time in hours. A cyclestoday counter 3223 displays a total number of cycles performed today,while a cycles yesterday counter 3225 displays a total number of cyclesperformed yesterday. A total cycles counter 3227 displays a total numberof treatment technique cycles that the canopy treatment system 100 hasperformed in its lifetime. An alarm banner 3226 may display variousalarms and warnings for the canopy treatment system 100 as encounteredby the canopy treatment system 100, such as a low water level alarm inthe water tank 212 or the temperature alarm from step 2122 of the treetemperature control sub-routine 2024.

Start buttons 3228 a,b may be selected by the operator depending onwhich temperature transmitter 1502 a,b, respectively, is positionedproximate to the tree. In the present embodiment, the start button 3228a corresponds with the temperature transmitter 1502 a and the startbutton 3228 b corresponds with the temperature transmitter 1502 b. Theoperator may select a stop button 3230 to stop the treatment techniqueas desired. Transmitter indicators 3240 a,b indicate the temperaturesmeasured by the temperature transmitters 1502 a,b, respectively.

A canopy button 3232 may be selected by the operator to view the HMI3010 showing the canopy 104. A trends button 3234 may be selected by theoperator to view a history of how the various equipment of the canopytreatment system 100 has been running over a certain time frame. A resetbutton 3238 may be selected by the operator to reset the active alarms.An alarm history button 3239 may be selected by the operator to navigateto a screen to display a history of previous alarms.

As illustrated in FIG. 33, the HMI 3010 may also illustrate a graphic ofthe canopy 104 in another screen. The HMI 3010 illustrates the clock3219, the timer 3220, the total burner run hours 3222, the cycles today3223 the cycles yesterday 3225, the total cycles 3227, the stop button3230, the trends button 3234, the reset button 3238, the alarm banner3226, the alarm history 3239, and the transmitter indicators 3240 a,b.The graphic also includes an overview button 3302 that may be selectedby the operator to view the graphic illustrated in FIG. 32.

One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,”“could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, orotherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intendedto convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments donot include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, suchconditional language is not generally intended to imply that features,elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particularembodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarilyinclude logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting,whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to beperformed in any particular embodiment. No particular terminology ordescription should be considered limiting on the disclosure or the scopeof any claims issuing therefrom. Directional references such as “up,”“down,” “top,” “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” and “corners,” amongothers are intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated anddescribed in the figure (or figures) to which the components anddirections are referencing.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merelypossible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Manyvariations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the presentdisclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations andsub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above.All such modifications and variations are intended to be included hereinwithin the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims toindividual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended tobe supported by the present disclosure.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: moving a canopytreatment system proximate to a plant to be treated, the canopytreatment system including a hot fluid generating system and a canopy,the canopy defining a treatment region and in fluid communication withthe hot fluid generating system; lowering the canopy relative to the hotfluid generating system to position the canopy around the plant with theplant within the treatment region of the canopy; and heating the plantwithin the canopy.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the hot fluidgenerating system includes a hot water generator, a pump, a flow switch,a temperature probe, and a canopy valve; and the canopy includes atreatment ring and a cover.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: initiating a treatment technique to maintain a treatmenttemperature for a treatment duration time within the treatment region;and raising the canopy above the plant such that the plant is not withinthe treatment region after expiration of the treatment duration time. 4.The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a temperaturetransmitter proximate to the plant, wherein the temperature transmitteris in communication with a system controller, the system controllerconfigured to control fluid communication between the hot fluidgenerating system and the canopy.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein theplant is a first plant and the temperature transmitter is a firsttemperature transmitter, the method further comprising placing a secondtemperature transmitter proximate to a second plant to be treated, thesecond temperature transmitter in communication with the systemcontroller.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein lowering the canopyincludes moving the canopy while the hot fluid generating system remainsstationary.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein lowering the canopyincludes rotating the canopy about the hot fluid generating system witha hydraulic boom, vertically positioning the canopy relative to the hotfluid generating system with the hydraulic boom, and horizontallypositioning the canopy relative to the hot fluid generating system withthe hydraulic boom.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the canopyincludes a base ring and a treatment ring, wherein a distance betweenthe base ring and the treatment ring defines a canopy height, the methodfurther comprising changing the canopy height from a collapsed height toan extended height, wherein the extended height is greater than thecollapsed height.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein lowering the canopyrelative to the hot fluid generating system to position the canopyaround the plant includes moving the canopy while the canopy height isthe extended height.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein: the hot fluidgenerating system is mounted on a vehicle; and moving the canopytreatment system proximate to the plant to be treated includes drivingthe vehicle proximate to the plant to be treated.
 11. A methodcomprising: moving a canopy treatment system proximate to a plant to betreated, the canopy treatment system including a hot fluid generatingsystem and a canopy, the canopy defining a treatment region and in fluidcommunication with the hot fluid generating system; and programming asystem controller with a treatment duration time and a treatmenttemperature, the system controller configured to control fluidcommunication between the hot fluid generating system and the canopy.12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: moving the canopyrelative to the hot fluid generating system to position the canopy overa top of the plant; lowering the canopy around the plant with anelevating mechanism to position the plant within the treatment region;and initiating a treatment technique to treat the plant by maintainingthe treatment temperature for the treatment duration time within thetreatment region.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising raisingthe canopy above the plant after expiration of the treatment durationtime.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plant is a first plant,the method further comprising: positioning a first temperaturetransmitter proximate to the first plant; lowering the canopy around thefirst plant to position the first plant within the treatment region; andpositioning a second temperature transmitter proximate to a secondplant.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: raising thecanopy above the first plant after expiration of the treatment durationtime; moving the canopy treatment system proximate to the second plant;lowering the canopy around the second plant to position the second plantwithin the treatment region; and moving the first temperaturetransmitter from proximate to the first plant to proximate to a thirdplant.
 16. A canopy treatment system comprising: a hot fluid generatingsystem configured to heat a fluid, the hot fluid generating systemincluding a canopy valve; and a canopy in fluid communication with thehot fluid generating system, the canopy defining a treatment region, thecanopy valve of the hot fluid generating system selectively positionableto control fluid flow between the hot fluid generating system and thecanopy.
 17. The canopy treatment system of claim 16, wherein: the hotfluid generating system includes a hot fluid generator configured toheat the fluid, a pump configured to pump the fluid from a fluid sourceto the hot fluid generator, a flow switch configured to detect the flowrate of the fluid between the pump and the hot fluid generator, atemperature probe between the hot fluid generator and the canopy valve,the temperature probe configured to detect a temperature of the fluidexiting the hot fluid generator, and a base, the pump, the hot fluidgenerator, the flow switch, and the temperature probe being arranged onthe base; and the canopy includes a treatment ring and a cover, thetreatment ring and the cover defining the treatment region, the canopyincluding a top opening and a bottom opening, and the cover covering thetop opening to trap heat within the treatment region.
 18. The canopytreatment system of claim 17, wherein the hot fluid generating systemfurther includes: a water tank, the fluid source being the water tank,and an adjustable recirculation valve configured to recirculate fluidpumped by the pump to the water tank, wherein the recirculation valve isadjustable to control the flow rate of fluid through the canopy valve.19. The canopy treatment system of claim 17, further comprising a systemcontroller configured to open and close the canopy valve, the systemcontroller configured to close the canopy valve if: a safety timer hasexpired, a treatment duration timer has expired, a canopy temperature asmeasured by a temperature transmitter within the treatment regionexceeds a high-high temperature limit, or a fluid temperature asmeasured by the temperature probe exceeds a high-high temperature limit.20. The canopy treatment system of claim 16, wherein the canopyincludes: a support ring foldable through a support ring hinge; a firsttreatment ring connected to the support ring and having a first spraynozzle; a second treatment ring connected to the first treatment ringand having a second spray nozzle; a third treatment ring connected tothe second treatment ring and having a third spray nozzle; and a basering connected to the third treatment ring, wherein the first spraynozzle and the third spray nozzle are a first type of spray nozzle andthe second spray nozzle is a second type of spray nozzle.
 21. The canopytreatment system of claim 16, further comprising a hydraulic boom arm,the canopy connected to the hydraulic boom arm and movable relative tohot fluid generating system by moving the hydraulic boom arm.